Photoshop & phones: Macron’s official portrait making rounds for all the wrong reasons

Emmanuel Macron often makes headlines for political reasons, but the newest buzz surrounding the French president centers on his official portrait. Claims of Photoshopping and a pose which appears to copy Barack Obama are among the long list of criticisms.

The photo, tweeted by Macron on Thursday, shows the newly-elected French president standing in front of his desk with the sunny lawn of the Élysée Palace in the background.

The picture quickly gained traction online, but likely not for the reasons Macron expected.

Many said Macron had been heavily Photoshopped - a claim which a Le Figaro journalist says is true. The reporter, citing an analysis of the photo's metadata, said the picture had undergone three days’ worth of tweaking.